


A Wrench is All You Need

by Omglooknoone



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/F, Wrenchie Wrules
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2018-03-24
Packaged: 2019-04-07 15:18:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14083800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Omglooknoone/pseuds/Omglooknoone
Summary: Armed with her faithful wrench, there's almost no problem Asami Sato can't fix. And if she can't, at least she has someone to talk to.





	A Wrench is All You Need

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! So I've always loved the development of Asami and Wrenchie's relationship in the show, but I was a bit tentative to try writing a side character, but Writerleft posted a Wrenchsami fic a few weeks ago and I was really inspired to try one myself.

Asami rushed into the room, little feet pitter-pattering excitedly. She searched the room, spotted Wrenchie lying on her desk, and grabbed him before running back out. 

 

Wrenchie found himself tightly gripped in a small, firm palm. 

 

She bounded down the stairs, handing Wrenchie over to Hiroshi proudly. 

 

He chuckled. “Very good, Asami. This is him, ah-“

 

“Wrenchie!” She beamed. 

 

“Well, please tell Wrenchie, thank you. He’s just the right fit.” Hiroshi rumbled, a twinkle in his eye. 

 

She watched Hiroshi work with interest, leaning over his shoulder on several occasions. He pointed things out to her, how to apply pressure in the right way, how to decide which tool would work best. Asami’s eyes shined every time he puffed out a laugh at one of her responses, his deep voice warm and loving. 

 

She watched him place Wrenchie gently on the bench, and before she could ask what came next, Hiroshi tickled at her sides and a squeal escaped. 

 

“Dad!” 

 

He let up, pulling her close. Wrenchie watched curiously as they embraced, not missing the pained look in Hiroshi’s eyes as he buried his nose in the top of her head. 

 

“Asami,” he pulled back, looking seriously at her, “you must promise me, that you will remember how much I love you. No matter what.” 

 

She peered at him, trying to read his expression before giving up and nodding vigorously. 

 

“Okay, Dad. I love you too.” 

 

He pulled her back into a hug, letting himself wrap around Asami and protect her while he still could. 

 

XXX

 

“Asami, wake up. Happy birthday, darling.” 

 

Hiroshi grinned adoringly at her sleepy expression. 

 

“Wha--” She rubbed her eyes with her tiny fists as she tried to focus on her father’s smiling face. 

 

The light shining through the window proved to be too much for her and she burrowed back into the pillow. 

 

“Oh come now, it’s time to get up. It’s a special day for you.” 

 

Asami pouted into her pillow even though no one could see. 

 

“It’s too-- bright,” she mumbled. 

 

Hiroshi spotted Wrenchie at her bedside. 

 

As he reached towards him, Wrenchie suspected what was about to happen. 

 

_ Hiroshi, don’t do it.  _ He warned him as the hand came closer. 

 

“Hello, Asami!” Hiroshi made a squeaky voice. 

 

If Wrenchie had hands, he would have wrenched himself out of Hiroshi’s hands and walloped him. 

 

He felt himself bob up and down stupidly as Hiroshi continued. 

 

“It’s your best friend Wrenchie here to sing ‘Happy birthday’!” 

 

_ Wrenchie did not sing. He was a tool for spirits’ sake.  _

 

“Happy birthday to you,” Hiroshi began singing in a shrill voice. 

 

As the song progressed, Asami began feeling awake enough to peek out from under her covers, eyes lighting up with glee as Wrenchie danced around in front of her. 

 

Hiroshi finished singing, pecking Asami’s cheek with the wrench. 

 

She giggled. “Wrenchie! You’re cold!” 

 

Wrenchie was fond of Asami. He really was. She was turning out to be quite the little inventor, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t a little indignant about being used as a puppet. 

 

“Come on, Asami. I have a little surprise for you.” Hiroshi lifted her into his arms and started walking out the door. 

 

“Wait! Daddy, we forgot Wrenchie!” 

 

He walked back over to where he had placed Wrenchie on the bed, leaning down so Asami could grab it. 

 

\----

 

“Okay, close your eyes. I’ll tell you when you can look.” 

 

Asami squirmed in his arms as they entered the workshop. 

 

“Can I look now?” She asked. 

 

He chuckled lightly. 

 

“Go ahead.” 

 

She grinned brightly before running towards the little contraption on the table. 

 

“It’s a--” Hiroshi started. 

 

“Miniature steam engine model!” Asami squeaked. 

 

Hiroshi blinked. 

 

“Well, yes. How did you--” 

 

“I made my own last month and added a few adjustments.” Asami grinned broadly before bringing out her own model. 

 

Hiroshi studied it, turning it over in his hands. 

 

“That’s remarkable, you just--” He trailed off as he inspected the gadget. 

 

Asami beamed under the pride in Hiroshi’s expression. 

 

“How did you get this all to work?” He asked, still in wonder of the tiny engineer in front of him.

 

Remembering the wrench in her hand, Asami shrugged and gestured to it. 

 

“Wrenchie helped me! Whenever I use him to fix something or build something, it always works.” She declared. 

 

Wrenchie could have nodded. Finally he was getting the recognition he deserved and not being mocked as a puppet. 

 

Hiroshi’s eyes crinkled at the corners at the way Asami cherished Wrenchie. 

 

“Well alright, I’ll have to get you something more complex to work on then, huh?”  

  
  


XXX

 

Asami watched as the other girl on the street fell off her scooter. She covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. Dad had mentioned it was rude to laugh, even if it  _ was  _ terribly funny. 

 

She watched as the girl bent down to inspect her scooter, frowning as she noticed what was wrong. 

 

Asami was shy, never having much time to play outside, but Wrenchie sat heavily in her dress pocket. Maybe she could help! 

 

She walked towards the other girl, offering a small smile. 

 

“Hi, what’s wrong with your scooter?” 

 

The other girl looked at her. “I don’t know, really. I was just riding it and I felt something weird,” she blushed, “then I fell off.” 

 

Asami giggled. 

 

“Can I see?”

 

The other girl shrugged, pushing the scooter towards her. 

 

Asami peered at the scooter, grinning widely when she found the issue. 

 

“I know how to fix it!” She declared. 

 

The girl laughed.

 

“Only dads know how to fix things,” she said. 

 

Asami took this as a challenge. Slipping Wrenchie out of her pocket, Asami ignored the girl’s stare as she tightened a nut holding the handle bar steady. It was loose and had probably been wobbling when the girl fell. 

 

“There. See if it works,” Asami said eagerly. 

 

Giving her another confused look, she hesitantly stepped onto the scooter and pushed off the ground a few times experimentally. 

 

She beamed. “Wow! How did you know how to do that?”

 

A pleased smile appeared on Asami’s features. 

 

“I like helping my Dad fix things.”

 

“That’s cool. I’m Maya, wanna be friends?”

 

Asami grinned, giving the wrench in her pocket a light squeeze of thanks. 

 

“Sure.”

 

XXX

 

Asami slid onto her bed, cheeks hurting from grinning so widely. Wrenchie caught her eye from his loyal place on her nightstand and she picked it up, weighing the metal in her hand. 

 

She was finally going on her first date. 

 

“Wrenchie, can you believe Dad is letting me go out?” 

 

Wrenchie didn’t even blink. He knew this day would come after all. At 15, Asami was growing into a resilient and radiant young woman, ready to fix and overcome any problems she came across. 

 

Opening her closet, she narrowed down her wardrobe to three outfits. She talked herself through the pros and cons of each outfit, trying to take everything into account from occasion to wind speed (dresses were rather unruly in the breeze), and still found herself stumped. 

 

“Any thoughts?” 

 

Wrenchie was awkwardly silent. He was no fashion expert, donning the same black and red scheme each day. 

 

“Well, I don’t suppose you’ve ever wanted to go on a date anyway,” Asami assumed (correctly). 

 

He agreed with a light tapping sound as she set him down. 

 

Fortunately, after thorough analysis, Asami had been able to settle on the black jeans and maroon blouse. Simple and stylish (while also comfortable enough to run away in, in case it went terribly). 

 

Maybe a little makeup couldn’t hurt. Wrenchie watched with interest as her steady hands added a little eyeshadow and finished with a thin black line across her eyelids. She shrugged at the ease with which everything fell into place. She’d had a lot of time on her hands whenever Hiroshi was busy, so even though she only allowed herself a small pleased smile, Wrenchie knew she was excited to be putting her makeup skills to use. 

 

Now, Asami was pleased with her face and outfit, but—

 

“What should I do with my hair? Up or down?” She gazed at the wrench expectantly. 

 

He waited for her to continue. 

 

“Well, it’ll be out of my face if it’s up… but I do like it down too…”

 

She picked up the wrench, catching a glimpse of herself in it. Wrenchie thought she looked perfect already and did his best to communicate this to her by illuminating the way her appearance reflected back at her. Asami locked eyes with her metallic reflection, gazing at the way her hair framed her face and flowed around her shoulders and decided she agreed— she was ready. 

 

XXX 

 

Asami couldn’t believe how much had happened in the past few weeks. From meeting the Avatar to discovering her own father’s part in the equalist movement, Asami didn’t know what to do. 

 

_ A secret factory. _

 

She felt her lip quiver as she looked in the mirror. Everything she had built her life on, her company, her family was being stripped away from her. She had nothing. 

 

As she gazed around her unfamiliar surroundings, she could barely keep her hands steady enough to remove her makeup. At least nothing in this dusty room reminded her of her father. She had no home to go back to and no family to stay with. She dabbed lightly at the smudges of purple around her eyes, slumping as her distress and anguish became more visible with each wipe. 

 

She thought back to every moment she had spent with her father. Had he been harboring such hatred for all these years? She felt unease creep into her limbs as she thought of every lesson he had taught her. Engineers could fix and create and help people, he had said. So why was he so hellbent on building tools of destruction?  _ Tools _ . 

 

Asami reached into her bag for Wrenchie, resting her palm against the cool metal of his handle. For a moment she contemplated packing him up somewhere where she wouldn’t be able to find him, at least not for a while, but she pushed the thought aside. Wrenchie had nothing to do with the way her world was crumbling around her, nothing to do with her father’s anger. 

 

As if sensing her turmoil, Wrenchie glimmered sadly in the light coming through the window. She put the wrench down with a soft click, trying not to remember the happier moments they had had together. Her father was in nearly every memory.

 

Still, Asami couldn’t allow herself to wrestle with her thoughts for much longer tonight. She would drive herself insane picking through the details of her memories, searching for a sign that this is what he had been hiding. 

 

She padded over to the air temple bed, trying to distract herself by planning their next move. The avatar,  _ Korra _ , was struggling to master airbending; she was also clearly out of her element and had no idea how to control the situation unfolding before her. Asami could see that she was trying her best, and felt a glimmer of sympathy for the other girl. It helped of course, that she was lucky enough to have so many people who cared for her and who supported her. 

 

Asami squeezed her eyes tight. People cared for her too. She was staying in the air temple, welcomed by Tenzin’s family. She had found friends in Korra and Bolin--even though the Pro-bending stadium had been shut down, they were still a team. They would put their heads together and fight every last equalist if it meant protecting the city. She wouldn’t be alone by any means. 

 

Asami took a last glance towards Wrenchie. 

 

“You know, you’re gonna have to help me fix this.” 

 

XXX

 

“Did that sand dune just move?” Asami squinted at the sand cloud that appeared to be making great time in the desert. 

 

“It’s probably just a mirage.” One of the guards brushed her off. 

 

“I’ve heard that this desert has been haunted by spirits ever since--” Another one began. 

 

“I suppose that’s my fault too.” Korra grunted. 

 

The crew shot her a displeased look, still unwilling to budge and work together to get the ship in the air again. 

 

“Look. Do you want to work together to get this ship back in the air, or do you want to become that thing’s lunch?” Korra pointed at the speeding mound of sand. 

 

“We’d like to work on the ship,” the first guard stammered. 

 

The captain grumbled under his breath before agreeing. “Let’s get to work.” 

 

\---

 

Asami watched in awe as Korra airbent the ship out of its untimely nosedive into a large sand dune. The crew managed to secure it in an upright position and Asami immediately began looking for the tools for repairing the ship. A short term fix was all that was necessary. Just enough to get them out of this sandy death trap. 

 

Asami was very confused about the tools in the ship’s supply room. There weren’t many tools besides a few screwdrivers, and a  _ welder? _ She frowned. They didn’t even have a wrench! After inspecting the damage, she suspected a few pieces would need to be welded back together to get them back in the air and she grabbed some extra rope for a harness. 

 

Asami peered at the tail piece of the aircraft. The damage was nearly crippling, but she was Asami Sato and she was determined to rescue them. She wasn’t the CEO of one of the largest industrial companies in the world for no reason. She swung herself to the side lightly as she observed the sections in need of repair. 

 

Starting with some areas that simply needed to be reconnected, Asami slid her facemask down and furrowed her brow. Sparks flew as she held the pieces steady, connecting the supporting framework inside the torn tail fin. There was no time to panic about their situation, and certainly no time to worry about Korra. If nightfall came, there was no telling what kind of evils would appear in the desert and  _ why was she worried about Korra?  _

 

Asami shook her hair out of her face, turning to face the last section. She had saved this section for last, unsure of how to make room to get her hands far enough in to work. Thinking quickly, Asami ran through the list of tools she had at her disposal. A small hand saw, a few bent screwdrivers-- spirits, they had been blessed to have a welding machine-- Asami snapped her fingers. Of course. 

 

She slid Wrenchie out of her jacket pocket, apologizing silently before wedging the wrench under two pieces and allowing her hands to fit through. She winced at the grating sound of Wrenchie protesting the new scratches to his paint coat, but she tried to assure him it was a necessary sacrifice. 

 

She could always get him a new paint job, but she did mention that if she didn’t use him to fix the tail piece, neither one of them would be making it out of the desert. He was silent after that. 

 

Asami was finishing up on the final section, running the fiery arc over the connection a few more times to make sure, when she heard Korra’s voice. 

 

“How’s everything going up there?” She called. 

 

Asami turned to look at her, facemask still on, and she could have sworn that Korra averted her eyes slightly when she turned. Had she been staring? 

 

Asami flipped her hair for good measure, glad the face guard covered her expression as she studied the other girl.

 

“She’s pretty banged up,” Asami called back, “but she just might be able to get off the ground.” 

 

“That’s great. I just finished airbending the sand out of the engine room. Get down here and we’ll try to kick this baby into gear.” 

 

Korra and Asami watched as the propellers began creaking to life, slowly picking up speed. She whooped appreciatively, admiring both Asami and her work. Asami felt a smile tug at the edge of her lips, but before she could respond she spotted another commotion in the sand. This time much nearer.

 

Asami watched in horror as the sand below them erupted into the air. A large, gaping mouth, lined with hundreds of rows of jagged teeth, accompanied by two large flaps of skin, surged upwards towards their shakily repaired ship. 

 

She and Korra leaped out of the way just in time as the sand shark seized their ship in its powerful jaws and crunched it in half. She had just spent an hour welding and working on getting the engine started, and could barely believe the luck she had. Their ship crumpled in half like a fire flake, a sickening noise gurgling out of the creature’s mouth as it swallowed a large chunk and disappeared. 

 

They were really doomed this time, hope vanishing off the faces of the crew. Everyone surveyed the damage, shaken by the sight before them. The steering wheel landed upright and near a chair, providing some structure that indicated the front of the ship, but it was no use when every other part of the ship was scattered across the burning sands. 

 

Asami heard the complaints of the crew begin to rise, and before she could say anything to get them to focus, the captain snapped at them, telling them to shut up and stay put. 

 

Asami had other ideas though, and a quick glance to the side told her that Korra did too. She began rummaging through the parts, making note of what they had and didn’t have. If they couldn’t fix their old ship to get them out of the desert, maybe they could build their own. 

 

Asami bent down, checking out a piece of debris that might be suitable for angled sides or edges. Korra followed her path through the rubble, standing behind her, quietly content to just watch her work. While Asami concentrated, tapping Wrenchie against her chin thoughtfully, in the middle of her search, Wrenchie couldn’t help but notice the expression on Korra’s face. A mixture of fondness and something else he didn’t understand rested on her features. 

 

Asami straightened. 

 

“I have an idea we might be able to try.” 

 

“Are they giant metal wings that fly if you flap real hard?” The captain deadpanned. 

 

Asami fought the urge to roll her eyes, continuing, “No, but I think we can construct a sand sailer. All we need is a sail and some kind of sled to attach it to.” 

 

He struggled to find a smart reply before giving in and ordering the airmen to recover every bit of usable scrap metal. 

 

_ That’s what I thought, Wrenchie thought smugly.  _

 

Korra beamed brightly at Asami, sending her a silent message of admiration before running off to airbend some materials out of the sand. 

 

\---

 

The desert wind blew through her hair, and as refreshing as it should’ve been, it totally wasn’t. Sand blew into her eyes and a bit of hair got stuck in her mouth. 

 

“She ain’t pretty, but I think she’ll do the job.” Asami surveyed the craft with her hands on her hips. All in all, it wasn’t too bad. 

 

Korra widened her stance, funneling a large wind into the sail. Asami held her breath until the ship finally began moving, slicing through the sand. Just as they began celebrating, she spotted a familiar fin, rushing towards them. 

 

_ Are you fucking kidding me? _

 

Korra did her best to propel the ship as fast as the winds would carry them while Asami steered them away from gaping jaws of the sand shark. It wasn’t enough. The fin vanished, and everything was a little too silent. 

 

A nearly impossibly powerful force thrust upwards from beneath the sand as the ship went flying. Asami’s eyes widened as she looked directly into the maw of the creature, but before she could even begin to think of an action to take, Korra was at their rescue. She blasted a jet of flames down its throat, hoping for the best. The creature convulsed, choking on the heat, before letting out a pained roar and falling. 

 

She could only hold on for dear life as the ship freefalled through the air, hitting the sand roughly and bouncing several times. Asami had no idea the shoddy little ship would be able to handle such a rough journey.  _ Still better workmanship than Cabbage Corp, she thought smugly. _ Korra had the ship speeding away in a moments notice, looking back to grin wildly at Asami. 

 

_ That grin.  _

 

Asami attributed the racing of her heart to the neck breaking speed they were making in the desert. 

 

XXX

 

The weather was pleasant and breezy, and her shade under the tree, surrounded by the glimmering metal city was too comfortable. In fact, it was so nice out that Asami felt herself getting a little irritated. An entire nation was about to be wiped out, and the weather didn’t even care. 

 

She snuck a glance at Korra’s solemn expression before looking back at her hands. Well, she was getting what she wished for. Alone time with Korra-- except she wasn’t awake, which was slightly less than ideal, but as Asami traced the slope of her nose and the broad lines of her shoulders, she couldn’t complain. As she looked more carefully, she started to notice small details, the way her brow was furrowed ever so slightly, the barely noticeable tension in her shoulders, even as she relaxed into the spirit world. Not many would notice the strain that Korra was under, but Asami had become in tune with the way the avatar carried herself. 

 

She uncrossed her legs, breathing out as she tried to imagine what Korra was feeling. Asami couldn’t imagine being spread so thin, trying to protect everyone she cared about without the help of a few trusty machines, but no, Korra was doing it all herself. Just a foot away sat Korra, who Asami imagined was probably barreling through the spirit world, alone and desperate, searching for Zaheer. Spirituality had never been her strongest suit, but Korra was always willing to give everything she had, and then some, when it came to protecting the people she loved. 

 

The people she loved. Asami was one of those people. She wished she could do more, rather than just sitting around and waiting for disaster to reach them. Asami allowed a small smile to creep onto her lips as she realized that Korra was probably rubbing off on her. 

 

Plus she was doing important things, guarding the avatar’s body, looking at the avatar’s body… Wait, what? Asami screwed her eyes shut for a moment, making a face since she was sure Korra was deep in meditation, and slipping Wrenchie out of her pocket. She needed something to fidget with since she clearly had some venting she needed to do. 

 

Wrenchie glimmered expectantly, maybe even a little smugly about his part in the success of their rescue mission. 

 

How had she gotten here again? Sitting alone beside the avatar? 

 

Oh, right. 

 

She pinched the bridge of her nose as she winced at the way she had volunteered so quickly to watch over Korra’s body. She hadn’t been too eager, had she? 

 

In response, Wrenchie slipped out of her hands and fell on her ankle. 

 

“Ow!” Asami glared at him. “Okay, okay. I get it. I was a little obvious, wasn’t I?”  

 

Wrenchie would have raised an eyebrow at her if he had one. 

 

“Hey, best friends, do this stuff… They… they trust each other to protect their corporeal forms…” She trailed off. 

 

She sighed. 

 

“I just care for her, and I’m worried about her. Can you blame me? Have you seen what’s happened recently?” 

 

Wrenchie winced as he recalled being forcefully shoved into the airship’s wreckage. 

 

Asami gave him an apologetic look before continuing. 

 

“I mean, she brought back the air nation and fought a 30 foot tall dark spirit, but now Zaheer is threatening to destroy an entire culture if she doesn’t turn herself in. She just, needs to let us help her. She doesn’t need to face this alone. She can’t fight them without the help of other people,”

 

Wrenchie waited expectantly. 

 

“Or wrenches,” Asami smiled. 

 

She hugged her knees to her chest, resting her chin on her arms. She hoped Korra was safe in the spirit world, the one place that Asami was utterly useless in. Everything was too capricious, too unpredictable, nothing there worked according to logic. Time could creep by and distances could shorten in the blink of an eye. Asami shuddered. She would never want to go there alone. 

 

Well, she would be willing to go if a certain avatar was willing to show her around. The spirit world still had its wonders and was unlike anywhere else, and who better to take her than the bridge between their worlds? She’d have to ask Korra about that some other time, when they were past this mess. Way, way past this. 

 

Even if they took Zaheer out… the Earth Kingdom had dissolved into chaos, and the Earth Queen had been murdered for crying out loud. Suddenly, Asami bristled at the thought of Korra facing him in there alone. Her grip on Wrenchie tightened as she thought of something she could do. 

 

As if sensing that Asami was thinking about her, Korra stiffened, muscles tightening. Asami looked at her worriedly. Was Korra in trouble? If she was, what could she even do? 

 

The seconds ticked by as she watched Korra move fitfully, still entranced. Asami reached out towards her; she wanted to shake her, tear her out of the spirit world, but she knew that could have dangerous consequences and withdrew her hand. 

 

Suddenly, Korra’s eyes opened. Asami could have sighed with relief as she locked gazes with those breathtaking blue eyes. She felt her rib cage contract as she let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. 

 

“Any luck finding Zaheer?”

 

XXX

 

Asami studied the blueprints before her with weary eyes. This had to be the sixtieth time she was checking them, but it was her last ditch attempt to give herself something to do after receiving news of Korra. Apparently, she had been missing for six months, slipping away from the South Pole without a single word to anyone. 

 

The blue pages were starting to blur, so Asami decided to tinker with something else, something she could do with her hands. 

 

“She’s been missing for six months.” Asami echoed out loud. 

 

Wrenchie didn’t quite understand. Hadn’t Korra been gone for two years?

 

“Korra, I mean. She sent me those letters from the South Pole, but she was supposed to be back in Republic City by now.”

 

Wrenchie was achingly silent. 

 

Where was she? Why hadn’t she come home? Asami didn’t understand, well she didn’t expect to, but she couldn’t ignore the dread settling in the pit of her stomach. If Korra had been missing for this long, something must be terribly wrong. 

 

“Nobody understands what she’s going through right now, but if she came home...I don’t know, I could help her, I could…” She trailed off. 

 

How could she help her anyway? Korra wasn’t a faulty engine or defective part. She was complex and broken and so, very human. Asami had never been too good with those. 

 

Still, she couldn’t help but think there was something she could’ve done. She could have insisted on going with her to the South Pole, kept her company as she worked through everything. But then Asami imagined the worry and pain she was feeling right now multiplied by a hundred-- no, a thousand times. She was sure that’s how she would have felt knowing that she hadn’t been enough when Korra slipped away. 

 

Then again, maybe if she had been there Korra wouldn’t have needed to leave. Pressing her lips together, Asami tightened a bolt. It was no use troubling herself with thoughts of the past, the current issue of Korra’s location was pressing enough. 

 

“I hope she’s safe at least. If we don’t know where she is, how will we know if she’s been hurt or captured or worse?” 

 

She imagined Korra stumbling through the wilderness, still blocked from the avatar state, hurt and alone. Asami couldn’t even imagine what the other girl was going through, but it still stung a little, knowing that Korra had chosen not to come back. She wanted to be there for her, if only Korra would let her. 

 

“I guess she doesn’t want to come back, or she doesn’t want us to find her… she’s running.” 

 

She turned over the contraption in her hands, measuring it silently in her head. Holding the wrench up against the opening, she eyeballed its length, too weary to move and find an actual measuring device. 

 

Wrenchie was just as worn out as she was. Watching her throw herself into her work, he knew she hadn’t slept more than four hours in a long time. She was always occupying herself with something or other, using him to make adjustments late into the early hours of the morning. He knew she had been left behind too many times, and it saddened him to think that the little girl he had known was grown up and still remembering that feeling. She had been through more than any one person deserved, and he had known her for long enough to know that this business with Korra was troubling her more than she cared to admit. 

 

He was glad to know that fiddling with new inventions and working in her workshop was her outlet and she spoke to him often. After all, he was the only one aware of her feelings for Korra.  _ Spirits _ , the woman was in deep. 

 

She sighed beside him. 

 

“But why is she running? What is she running from? How can I help her if she doesn’t tell me anything?” She asked, frustration bubbling to the surface. 

 

The clicking of Wrenchie against the metal surface attempted to reassure her. At least she knew how far to tighten this bolt. She only knew how to fix machines. 

 

Wrenchie didn’t know why he knew this, or how to tell Asami, but he tried to explain that Korra just needed time. That it wasn’t her fault or anyone else’s that she had fled to recover alone. That what she was going through was something only she could overcome, and most importantly, something that Asami couldn’t fix.

 

Unfortunately, this all came out in the form of an annoying tapping noise as Asami placed him on an uneven surface and he wobbled up and down. 

 

She glared at him, irritated by the extraneous noise. She didn’t speak wrench. 

 

“Can you not?” 

 

Wrenchie winced, wobbling coming to a slow stop. He knew her feelings weren’t directed at him, but he supposed she’d have to realize all of this in her own time. Not everyone could hit the nail on the head like him. Well, except the hammer, but that guy was annoying.  

 

XXX 

 

Korra entered the workshop, coughing a little from the smoke. 

 

“Asami? Is everything okay in here?” She airbent it away from her face. 

 

“Yeah, one moment!” She called from some back corner of the room. 

 

“You sure? Because, I think you have like, a fire?” Korra asked. 

 

Asami waved her off before realizing Korra probably couldn’t see her. 

 

“No, no it’s fine. Come here,” She said with her back still turned.

 

“Uh, okay?” Korra cautiously maneuvered through the smoke, trying not to bump into anything. 

 

“Wait. Don’t move.” Asami paused for a moment as Korra stopped abruptly. 

 

“Can you grab Wrenchie from my table over there?” 

 

Korra raised an eyebrow. 

 

“Wrenchie?” 

 

Asami turned red. 

 

“Um, I said wrench?” She stammered. 

 

Korra picked up the scratched wrench, walking over to Asami with a crooked grin. 

 

“What’s a Wrenchie?” 

 

“He’s not a ‘what’--” Asami began. 

 

“He?!” Korra cried. 

 

“Korra, just give me Wrenchi-- I mean, the wrench.” Asami groaned, reaching out to take it from Korra. 

 

“Nuh uh. No way. You name your tools?” Korra teased, holding it out of Asami’s reach. 

 

“Oh come on, Korra. Don’t be immature. Pass me the wrench.” Asami crossed her arms after failing to wrench it out of her grip. 

 

“I’m immature? You  _ name  _ your tools.” Korra said, amusement clearly crossing her features. 

 

“I don’t name all of them. This one’s just special,” Asami tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. 

 

Korra raised her eyebrows, clearly expecting more of an explanation. 

 

Asami sighed, putting down her tools. Just as she was about to speak, Korra interrupted. 

 

“I’m, um excited you’re about to tell me, but do you want me to put that fire out?”

 

“What fire?” Asami’s eyes widened as she looked at the small flaming invention on the table. 

 

“Yes, please.” 

 

Korra shot Asami a wink before extinguishing the flame. 

 

“You were saying?” 

 

“Oh right. Well, how do I explain this?” Asami thought for a moment. “The first time my father and I fixed something together, I remembered it was wrench number twelve that got the job done. That’s when I asked to keep that ‘special’ wrench.” 

 

Korra grinned at the idea of tiny Asami asking to keep one of Hiroshi’s tools, stepping closer and urging Asami to continue. 

 

Asami smiled back before continuing. “My mother gave my father this shiny, new toolset to celebrate his first Satomobile order, but he could never bear to use them. So he gave the whole set to me, and my favorite one was number twelve, which is the one you’re holding.” 

 

“Wait, you didn’t explain why you call him Wrenchie,” Korra’s mouth twitched on one side as she said the name. 

 

Asami winced. “I was hoping you’d forget, but if you must know...he needed a name for when I talked to him.” 

 

She sighed at the last part, knowing she would probably never live this down. To her surprise, no teasing came. Instead, Korra’s bright blue eyes flashed with understanding. 

 

“What’d you tell him about? Did you tell him about me?” Korra asked earnestly, wrapping her arms around Asami’s waist and looking into her eyes.

 

She didn’t know how she’d gotten so lucky. Running her gaze over Korra’s tan features, the way her hair framed her face, Asami took in the sight of Korra so alive and healthy and happy. Asami thought back to everything they had been through together, from losing her father and finding a new family in Team Avatar, to the long years she’d spent waiting for Korra to return, well and strong again. 

 

“You have no idea.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I hope I did their relationship justice! The way Wrenchie is Asami's support system is so, so important and I really wanted to capture the fact that he's consistently there for her through her ups and downs. Let me know what you think!


End file.
